Oxygen diffusive wound dressings and methods of manufacturing and use

Abstract

Oxygen diffusive wound dressings and methods of manufacturing and use are described herein. The wound dressing may generally provide a ready supply of oxygen to a wound being treated via one or more oxygen conduits which are designed to pass oxygen from ambient air or other oxygen reservoirs into proximity to the wound, and may also provide for exudate removal through transecting channels in fluid communication with both the wound surface and a hydrophilic absorbent material.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to wound dressing apparatus and methods of their manufacturing and use. More particularly, the present invention relates to wound dressings that allow for the oxygenation and prevention of dehydration of wounds while removing exudate from the wounds and methods of their use.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]To facilitate the healing of wounds, the wound environment needs to be conducive to cell survival and proliferation. If the wound becomes dehydrated or if a pool of exudate develops above or within the wound, oxygen diffusion to or through the wound becomes impeded and the cells become hypoxic, which impairs their function (for example, the antimicrobial activity of neutrophils or the production of collagen by fibroblasts). Under sustained hypoxic or anoxic conditions the cells may die. This is especially true if the wound has impaired vascular delivery of oxygen from the native blood vessels. Dressings which are used to si...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a wound dressing that has a coated fiber array and a hydrophilic absorbent material envelope. The coated fiber array is made by coating multifilament fiber with a solution that maintains the openness of the fiber spaces. The coated fiber array is then arranged in parallel or knitted onto a substrate, and a space-filling adhesive is used to secure it to the substrate. The coated fiber array is then placed over the open area of the hydrophilic absorbent material envelope and sealed in place. The dressing can be wrapped to cover the wound and expose the coated fiber array for contact with the wound. The adhesive border prevents any exudate from wicking laterally along the dressing and maintains a hermetic seal. The technical effect of this design is that it provides a dressing that allows for direct contact between the coated fibers and the wound while preventing any wicking of exudate along the dressing.

Problems solved by technology

The coating material and filament material may be hydrophobic to minimize condensation of water vapor diffusing through the coating, which could result in occlusion of the open interfilament spaces and a diminution of lateral oxygen diffusion along the length of the fiber.

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